Throughout the World Cup pool stages, Ireland’s ruthless edge in attack has impressed me but it was their defensive resilience against Scotland which really caught my eye. The match was set up for them - all the pressure was on Scotland - but their execution on both sides of the ball was spot-on and that is a hallmark of Andy Farrell’s side.
To delve a little deeper on their work without the ball, it was the defenders on the edge – Mack Hansen and James Lowe – who really stood out. They are the main leaders and voices who enable Ireland to get width in their defence. On the back of that, across the field, Ireland have organisation and an ability to get up off the ground quickly.
